I am utterly obsessed with all things “Alien.” Ever since watching the 1979 horror classic in my youth — at a far too young age considering its hard R-rating — I’ve been eager to consume every single ounce of this iconic dark sci-fi universe I can find. I’ve watched all the movies countless times, I’ve read the Extended Universe books, and I’ve played just about every Alien video game.
But much as I adore titles like 2014’s Alien: Isolation (it’s a top 10 game of all time for me), I’ve always longed to truly step into the world of Alien via the means of virtual reality. For ages, this felt like a pipedream, but last year when Alien: Rogue Incursion was announced, it looked like my dreams were set to be realized. And after an agonizingly extended wait to play, this week I finally stepped into my favorite cinematic world thanks to Alien: Rogue Incursion on Meta Quest 3 (PSVR 2 and SteamVR versions debuted back in December).
After playing a handful of hours across several play sessions, I’ve come away a little conflicted. On the one hand, Alien: Rogue Incursion truly is the VR game I’ve wanted pretty much my entire life, allowing me to fulfill my dream of coming face-to-face with a Xenomorph (quite a deadly dream, I know). But on the other hand, the Meta Quest 3 port is disappointingly downgraded.
Rogue Incursion is the stuff of dreams for Alien fans
As noted, I’ve had to wait a couple extra months to get access to Alien: Rogue Incursion on Meta Quest 3 (my current VR platform of choice), and during that time, I’ve worked hard to avoid pretty much all spoilers from PSVR 2 and SteamVR players. This instantly paid off when I booted up Rogue Incursion as even the opening took me by complete surprise.
When you launch the game for the first time, Rogue Incursion recreates the ultra-iconic title sequence from the first “Alien” movie (my favorite film of all time). You know, the part where the title is slowly etched into the screen while Jerry Goldsmith’s pitch-perfect score sets the mood in a way that sends a shiver down your spine.
This fantastic recreation almost had me tearing up inside my Quest 3 headset. It was a memorable moment years in the making.
And that was just the flippin' title screen. Actually settling in to play the proper game was a series of “pinch me” moments. From picking up the beeping motion tracker for the first time to firing off a volley of bullets using my trusty plasma rifle, it was heaven for an Alien fanboy like myself. Even a moment when a Xenomorph leaped from the shadows with its claws ready to cut me to ribbons had me at first yelling in fear and then positively cackling with delight.
To set the stage, in Alien: Rogue Incursion play as Zula Hendricks, an experienced colonial marine answering a distress call on the planet Purdan (also known as LV-354). Naturally, your arrival isn’t a smooth one, and you soon end up stranded on the frozen surface, exploring a facility overrun by xenomorphs. It’s a predictable setup for the franchise, but even this routine narrative feels surprisingly fresh when experienced through virtual reality.
Developers Survios really deserve huge credit for bringing the Alien universe to life in the VR space. While Rogue Incursion lacks the meticulous attention to detail of Alien: Isolation (the gold standard in this area), its environments are undeniably Alien in nature, and all the sights and sounds franchise fans could want are present. Plus, much as the Xenomorph is a known quantity at this point, seeing a lifesized one charging towards you will spike your heart rate.
As a VR shooter, Alien: Rogue Incursion doesn’t appear to be bringing a whole lot new to the table (at least based on the few hours I’ve played so far), but just the Alien trappings are enough for it to be among the standout VR titles I’ve played. Granted, I’m hardly objective when rating Alien products, but even if you only have a loose familiarity with the franchise, I still think you’ll find joy in Alien: Rogue Incursion's thrilling sci-fi action and well-worked jump scares.
If there’s one distracting weakness I’ve spotted so far, it’s the ill-judged save system. Much like in Alien: Isolation, you can only save your progress at pre-determined spots (you need to unlock panic rooms). But this system means it’s possible to lose several minutes of progress if you get overwhelmed by Xenos. For a VR title, where many players prefer to play in shorter sessions to avoid the ill effects of playing in virtual reality, it’s too limiting a system. A “save anywhere” option or even just regular autosaves would have been useful.
Nevertheless, my grips with the save system are small fry when stacked against everything Alien: Rogue Incursion gets right. Being part of the Alien universe — but being safe from a grisly fate — is a dream come true, and I’m having a complete blast slowly making my way through the game’s cinematic campaign. It’s just a shame I’m doing so on the Meta Quest 3 headset…
Quest 3 isn’t the place to play Alien: Rogue Incursion
For as much as I’m enjoying Alien: Rogue Incursion, I’m a little too aware that I’m currently experiencing the very worst version of the game via Quest 3.
As you can see in the below comparison video (courtesy of UploadVR), the Quest 3 port is quite significantly downgraded compared to the experience currently available on PSVR 2 and SteamVR platforms.
Granted, the Quest 3 is the least powerful headset of the bunch, and unlike the other two doesn’t have the horsepower of a current-generation console, or a beefy PC setup, to help it out. However, I’ve enjoyed VR experiences like Batman: Arkham Shadow and Arizona Sunshine 2 on Quest 3 without feeling like my enjoyment was being impacted by the unit’s less powerful components. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about Rogue Incursion.
The sense of unnerving atmosphere that I can tell Survios was attempting to craft has been significantly dented by the Quest 3’s significantly poor lighting effects. Several interiors near pitch-black on PSVR 2 are instead bathed in harsh blue lighting on Quest 3, which drains the tension from the scene.
Blurry textures are another frequent problem. In fact, texture quality is often so low, that it feels like the walls of the facility you’re exploring have been coated in a thick layer of vaseline. Rogue Incursion is a great VR game, but if you have the option of playing it anywhere else, you really should.
To Survio's credit, they do seem willing to acknowledge the graphical downgrades on Quest 3 and have told UploadVR that a patch to "address performance and visual issues" is in the works. It remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have, again Quest 3 is the least powerful platform so some sacrifices are likely necessary, but I really hope a few post-launch patches can get the Quest 3 version a bit closer to parity with PSVR 2.
If you only have access to a Meta Quest 3 headset then I would still highly recommend Alien: Rogue Incursion, but perhaps with the caveat that it may be worth waiting to see if the promised post-launch patches can smooth out some of the technical blemishes. Either way, even in its current state, it’s an essential title for Alien fans, and I’m personally enjoying every moment.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
